Manchester United’s iconic venue of Old Trafford has been named in the 100 best stadiums in the world, despite failing to crack into the top 10.
Old Trafford had a legendary reputation during the Sir Alex Ferguson era of Manchester United, with rival teams fearing the trip to the Red Devils’ stadium.
However, Old Trafford has struggled to retain its formidable reputation after legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out of United in 2013.
The Theatre of Dreams has also fallen behind in quality compared with other new stadiums, including Spurs’ impressive Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
United fans have been critical of the Glazer family’s controversial ownership of the Premier League club and the lack of serious investment in renovating Old Trafford.
Footage has been circulated on social media in the past over the issues at the Theatre of Dreams, including rain leaking through one part of the stadium’s roof.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already expressed his desire to revamp the ageing Old Trafford stadium after his partial takeover of the Red Devils.
The 71-year-old Ineos billionaire has even proposed the idea of building a ‘Wembley of the North,’ which could serve an important role for the north of England.
Man Utd’s Old Trafford named in 100 best stadiums
FourFourTwo magazine compiled the rankings and Manchester United’s Old Trafford secured its place at No 40 in the 100 best stadiums in the world right now.
Gregor MacGregor wrote for the publication that “even non-United fans” can be “caught up in the history and nostalgia draped” across the stadiums during tours.
Despite holding the status of the Premier League’s biggest stadium, Old Trafford fell behind other English teams in the rankings.
United’s rivals Arsenal finished ahead of the Red Devils, with the Emirates securing the No 37 spot in the rankings.
Newcastle’s St James’ Park ranked ahead of Arsenal’s Emirates and United’s Old Trafford, with the Magpies’ stadium named as 35th best venue in the world.
Posted below are the rankings from No 40 to No 31 in the 100 best stadiums in the world, according to FourFourTwo.
- 40. Old Trafford (Manchester United)
- 39. Stadion An der Alten Forsterei (Union Berlin)
- 38. Veltins-Arena, AKA Arena AufSchalke (Schalke 04)
- 37. Emirates Stadium (Arsenal)
- 36. Stadion Narodowy, AKA PGE Narodowy (Poland)
- 35. St James’ Park (Newcastle)
- 34. Soccer City, AKA FNB Stadium (Kaizer Chiefs)
- 33. Sukru Saracoglu (Fenerbahce)
- 32. Millerntor-Stadion (St Pauli)
- 31. Cairo International Stadium (Zamalek, Al Ahly and Egypt)
Which stadiums made the top 10?
FourFourTwo revealed that Tottenham’s home stadium and Wembley – the home venue for the England national team – cracked the top 10 in the rankings.
Rangers’ iconic Ibrox made the top five ahead of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley, while Scottish rivals Celtic didn’t see their stadium make the top 10.
According to FourFourTwo, Boca Juniors’ stadium of La Bombonera in Argentina beat out the rest of the competition to secure the top spot in its rankings.
Posted below are the magazine’s top 10 stadiums in the world right now.
- 10. San Siro (AC Milan and Inter Milan)
- 9. Wembley (England)
- 8. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham)
- 7. Camp Nou (Barcelona)
- 6. Estadio Azteca (Club America and Mexico)
- 5. Estadio Monumental (River Plate)
- 4. Ibrox (Rangers)
- 3. Signal Iduna Park, AKA Westfalenstadion (Borussia Dortmund)
- 2. Maracana (Fluminense and Flamengo)
- 1. La Bombonera (Boca Juniors)